Descriptive Summary

Abstract: Corporate and historical materials relating to the Erskine Company, Inc., a coal and real estate company based out of Staunton, Va.

SCOPE AND CONTENT INFORMATION

The Erskine Company records were collected and donated to the Virginia Historical Society roughly a decade after the largely successful coal and real estate firm completed its dissolution. Due to the wide variety of business ventures the company participated in throughout its over century-long existence, this collection is highly diverse, consisting of corporate materials dating from 1913 to 1996; the personal files of two of the company's presidents; financial information, such as annual reports, bank statements, and tax records; legal documents, including leases, deeds, and agreements; records of the company's subsidiaries; maps of land holdings; and various accounts regarding the history of the entity and those who ran it.

In conjunction with the processing of this collection, the Virginia Historical Society undertook an oral history project to document the experiences of Erskine Company employees, particularly at the management level. The resulting interviews reflect the viewpoints and memories of a handful of the company's officials in both the Virginia and West Virginia realms. Copies of these interviews can be found in Series 7.

ORGANIZATION

The Erskine Company, Inc., records are arranged into seven series by subject and document type and further subdivided where necessary. Series include: Series 1. Board of Directors minutes and corporate documents; Series 2. President's files; Series 3. Financial materials; Series 4. Legal materials; Series 5. Subsidies; Series 6. Maps; and Series 7. Historical materials.

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Erskine Company, Inc. was a family-owned and operated coal and real estate business that existed from 1921 to 1996. Although headquartered in Staunton, Virginia, the Erskine Company dealt extensively in West Virginia as well, where it held roughly 8,600 acres of coal and timberland in Fayette and Raleigh counties. Throughout its corporate existence, the company participated in a wide variety of business ventures, including coal mining, real estate speculation, and stock and bond trading, among others.

While the Erskine Company, Inc., became an official business entity in the states of Virginia and West Virginia in 1921, its history predates that incorporation by nearly half a century, when Michael Erskine Miller helped finance the creation of the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company. Miller (1843-1897) was born in Union, West Virginia, but spent much of his early years traveling throughout the United States, bouncing around from Alabama to Texas before eventually setting in Staunton, Virginia, in the1860s. There, inspired by the business prospects resulting from the completion of the Virginia Central Railroad, Miller opened McClure and Miller Wholesale Grocery store. The business and Miller soon prospered.

Some four years after Miller settled in Staunton, further railroad expansion came to the surrounding area, as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad completed its line from Newport News, Virginia, to Huntington, West Virginia. In so doing, the company had opened up the New River Gorge in West Virginia to mining, which attracted scores of individuals trying to make a living in the coal business. Chief among them were those from Pennsylvania, where a great amount of labor unrest in the coalfields had inspired many to look elsewhere for work. Such was the case with J.L. Beury and Jenkin Jones, who struck south and began prospecting around the New River area, eventually obtaining a lease on some 800 acres of land along Fire Creek belonging to Samuel Coit, President of the West Virginia Water Power Company. They aimed to create a coal company of their own.

Beury and Jones, however, had no capital. Fortunately, Beury had met Michael Erskine Miller and approached him about potentially funding the venture. By then a successful businessman, Miller jumped at the chance to finance the project, but with one caveat: to protect his interest, he insisted on sitting on the Board of Directors. When the dust settled and the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company officially gained its charter in 1877, Miller not only served as a director, but had been elected secretary and treasurer as well.

By 1879, Miller had become president of Fire Creek and began the process of turning it into a family-run business. To that end, he brought in his brother, Alexander E. Miller (1849-1890), to serve as treasurer and acquired as much company stock as he possibly could, owning 487 out of 592 shares by that fall. With that in place, the Millers began looking toward expansion.

Around 1884, Michael Erskine Miller bought the 1,800-acre lease that A.A. Low had contracted with the Low Moor Iron Company and formed the Thurmond Coal Company. Once Miller successfully installed a rail spur to transport the coal out of the mines, Thurmond became a highly successful entity, which would later be rechartered as the Rock Lick Coal Company and then the Dunedin Coal Company.

When Michael E. Miller died in June 1897, his estate—appraised at several hundred thousand dollars â€“ was split in half, with one part left to his wife, Harriett (Echols) Miller, and the other half to his four adopted children (his two biological children had died of diphtheria) and his brother, J. Mason Miller, Jr. J. Mason Miller also inherited Michael's interest in the Thurmond Coal Company, but because the will stated that the beneficiaries were to be responsible for any indebtedness of the company, Mason declined to accept the bequest. Thus, while J. Mason Miller became president of both the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company and the Thurmond Coal Company, the latter reverted back to the estate.

When both Harriett and Mason died unexpectedly, in 1899 and 1901, respectively, they left the execution of the M. Erskine Miller estate still unsettled. Thereafter, those duties passed to Edward Echols, Harriet's brother, and Hugh B. Sproul, husband to one of Michael E. Millers' adopted children. Now co-executors of the three combined estates, Echols and Sproul found it nearly impossible to fairly divide all expenses and income to the many beneficiaries. To combat these issues, the two formed the Erskine Coal and Land Company in 1902, which was to serve as a holding company that owned all of the various assets, with the beneficiaries holding a pro rata block of the stock.

Officially chartered in 1903, the Erskine Coal and Land Company prospered under the leadership of Sproul and Echols, who served as the corporation's first president and vice president, respectively. Together, the two continued to operate the West Virginia-chartered corporation from Staunton until 1921, at which point they found restructuring prudent. At that time, the men formed the Erskine Company, Inc., incorporated both in Virginia and West Virginia. All assets belonging to the Erskine Coal and Land Company were transferred to the new entity.

Hugh B. Sproul continued as president of the new company until his death in 1929. Under his leadership, the company prospered and expanded, officially incorporating the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company, the Dunedin Coal Company, the Terry Coal Company, and the Mason Coal Company. These four subsidiaries served to enlarge the Company's coal operations in West Virginia, while Sproul and the Board of Directors simultaneously diversified its stock portfolio from its home in Staunton's Professional Building.

A. Erskine Miller (1879-1961), first secretary and treasurer of the Erskine Coal and Land Company and the Erskine Company, Inc. alike, succeeded Sproul as president. Soon thereafter, the Great Depression necessitated a period of restructuring, as the coal business began to dwindle, apart for a brief flurry of activity during World War II. The presidency of A. E. Miller was thus one marked by increased attention to the company's stock and bond holdings and less to its first-hand dealings in the coal industry.

When Hugh B. Sproul, Jr. (1904-1992) took control in 1959, coal continued to falter as a source of revenue for the Erskine Company, Inc. Its prospects had become so meager by 1969, in fact, that the Board of Directors and Stockholders voted to liquidate and dissolve both the Dunedin and Fire Creek Coal and Coke companies. From that point onward, the company managed its West Virginia real estate by orchestrating leases with timber companies, with the Erskine Company, Inc., collecting royalties on all harvested materials. Along with prudent investing in securities and real estate speculation in Staunton, the harvesting of timber in West Virginia kept income up to the point that it was possible for the company to pay acceptable dividends to its stockholders until about 1990.

Hugh B. Sproul III succeeded his father as president of the company in 1984, after many years of serving as a director and consultant. An air of ambivalence marked the youngest Sproul's presidency. On one hand, he formed the Batoff Mountain Coal Company, the first subsidiary of the Erskine Company, Inc., that participated in direct coal mining since the World War II. Begun from the pieces of the E.J. and L. Company, Batoff existed less than a decade before being liquidated, however. Batoff's misfortune was due in large part to the other main issue that characterized Sproul III's presidency: the National Park Service's formation of the New River Gorge National River (NRGNR). A federally protected park, the NRGNR created a "boundary" within which timber and coal operations were prohibited. As a result, 11.4% of the Erskine Company, Inc.'s land in Raleigh County became obsolete (see Folder 585), and to make matters worse, the company's leadership felt shorted by the compensation offered to them by the federal government. A lengthy and costly litigation process ensued, further cutting into the company's profits. By the early 1990s, stockholder dividends reached an all-time low and liquidation became the chosen option.

The ultimate dissolution of the company was overseen by Dr. A. Erskine Sproul (1916-2010), who served as Erskine's final president from 1992 to 1996. Dr. Sproul, who did not always have the same business opinions as his nephew, Hugh B. Sproul, III, saw to the distribution of the stockholders' equity. The Erskine Company, Inc., formally dissolved in 1996.

CONTENTS LIST

Series 1. Corporate Materials, 1913–1996.

This series includes the minute books and corporate materials of the Erskine Company, Inc., four of its subsidiaries – Batoff Mountain Coal Company, Dunedin Coal Company, Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company, Mason Coal Company – and another entity, the Rock Lick Coal Company, which eventually became the Dunedin Coal Company. Containing Board of Director's and Stockholders' minutes, company resolutions, and certificates of incorporation and dissolution, the records found here provide an in-depth look into how the family-owned and operated company conducted business in both Virginia and West Virginia throughout its entire history.

It is interesting to note the marginal amount of turnover amongst the Board of Directors and officers when examining these minute books, both within the parent company and its subsidiaries. In the 75 years that the entity existed as the Erskine Company, Inc. (and not as its predecessor, the Erskine Coal and Land Company), it had just five different presidents, two of whom served for 25 years or longer. Of those five executives, all had previous experience as Directors and/or officers, and many had served in a similar capacity for one or more of the company's subsidiaries.

Researchers should note that additional information concerning the company's subsidiaries is located in Series 5.

Series 1.5. Mason Coal Company, 1926–1944

Series 1.6. Rock Lick Coal Company, 1913–1925

Series 2. President's Files, 1883–1996

This series contains the personal files of two of The Erskine Company's presidents.

A. Erskine Miller served longer than any other president of the Erskine Company, holding the position from 1929 to 1958. Under his leadership, the company officially incorporated two of its West Virginia coal subsidiaries, the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company and the Dunedin Coal Company, and further expanded the scope of its business dealings in Virginia. The majority of the files in Series 2.1 are related to the latter, focusing largely on things such as mortgage loans to Staunton residents and information regarding the company's stock, bond, and security holdings.

The fourth president of the company, Hugh B. Sproul III, served from 1984 to 1992, following a three-year stint as vice president. The grandson of the company's first president and the son of its third, Sproul led the corporation through some tumultuous times and eventually initiated the liquidation of its assets. Because issues relating to the company's West Virginia real estate largely dominated Sprouls presidency, his files have been divided into two distinct series: general files and West Virginia files. The former, Series 2.2, is concerned primarily with the president's duties as far as the Board of Directors and Stockholders were concerned, providing such information as presidential reports and notes on quarterly meetings. Folder 384 should be particularly noted, as it contains documentation and correspondence relating to the Erskine Company, Inc.'s failed attempt to sell its assets to U.S.A. Enterprises at $960 per share. Series 2.3, Sproul's West Virginia files, is largely concerned with the company's dealings with the National Park Service, which legally took some of Erskine-owned land to create the New River Gorge National River (NRGNR). Unsurprisingly, Sproul reacted unfavorably to the government measure and initiated a long, oftentimes arduous litigation process. Folders 481-486, 536-552, and 620-631 speak to this issue extensively.

Series 3. Financial Materials, 1917-1986.

The bookkeepers of the Erskine Company, Inc. kept meticulous records throughout its existence, documenting its transactions through three different means: cash books, journals, and ledgers. For much of its existence, the company remained stable and showed steady financial growth. That trend, however, was threatened in the 1980s and 1990s with the creation of the New River Gorge National River, which disallowed the company from carrying out much of its normal mining and timber operations. Combined with legal costs and other expenses associated with the company's fight with the National Park Service, this limited use of West Virginia real estate choked cash flow and became a major contributing factor in the ultimate dissolution of the company.

In addition to the bound books, Series 3 includes loose accounts, such as annual statements, bank statements, and tax reports. Together with the account books, these give an accurate representation of the company's finances from its incorporation to its dissolution.

Series 4. Legal Materials, 1876-1996.

Series 4 contains legal documents and relating correspondence of the Erskine Company, Inc., as well as information relating to the ultimate dissolution of the company. Series 4.1 and 4.2 deal exclusively with the companys business transactions in the state of Virginia, with the former including leases, deeds, and agreements made in Staunton and the latter containing information relating to the sale of that same Staunton property. Almost all of the documents in this series dated 1979 and after relate, in some way or another, to Air-Land (Sproul) Real Estate, an appraisal company started by Hugh B. Sproul, III. Even after the end of his presidency, Sproul, III continued to work for the Erskine Company as a contractor, particularly in the realm of real estate.

The documents in Series 4.3 relate specifically to legal matters in the state of West Virginia. As the Erskine Company became, for all intents in purposes, a corporate real estate company after World War II, many of the files contain leases it orchestrated with companies seeking to mine or harvest timber on its land. All legal documents are sorted by lessor.

The final Series consists of Dr. A. Erskine Sproul's file on the dissolution and liquidation of the company. It has been kept in reverse chronological order, as received.

New River Company and Mountain Laurel Resources Company, 1944 Aug. 4-1992 April 1

992

Old Ben Coal Corporation, 1931 March 25-1931 Dec. 18

993

Pack, Bill, 1955 Oct. 15

994

Peake Operating Company, 1987 June 29-1995 May 5

995

Perry and Hylton Coal Company, 1980 March 27-1984 Jan. 6

996

Perry Pocahontas Coal Company, 1969 Jan. 31

997

Phillips, Elmer, 1956 Feb. 1

998

Pups Creek Coals, Inc., 1990 Nov. 1

999

R. and S. Coal Company, Inc., 1958 Oct. 1-1968 Nov. 9

1000

Radford, Jesse, 1978 Aug. 19

1001

Recco, Fiure, 1954 July 21

1002

Robertson, J.M., 1938 Feb. 15

1003

Rock Lick Coal Company, 1919 Oct. 2-1933 July 10

1004

Royal Coal Company, 1971 July 23-1984 Jan. 31

1005

Sawyer, Elizabeth E., et al., 1908 Feb. 19

1006

Scott, William O., 1976 Sept. 24

1007

Sked Coal Company, Inc., 1932 Dec. 21-1941 June 13

1008

Smith, Charles G., 1995 April 19

1009

Stanley, E.E. Coal Company, 1930 June 20-1958 June 20

1010

State Road Commission of W.Va., 1943 Jan. 27-1947 June 3

1011

Stonewall Coal and Coke Company, 1900 Dec. 28

1012

Stover Smokeless Coal Company, 1941 Oct. 1

1013

Thewes, Jacob, 1939 June 15

1014

Thurmond Land and Coal Company, 1876 June 20-1923 Aug. 7

1015

United States of America (Army), 1952 Feb. 16-1968 Feb. 28

1016

Vass, J.W., 1948 April 1

1017

Vecellio and Grogan, Inc., 1950 July 19

1018

Wood, Kermit, 1978 Aug. 18

1019

Wood-Mosaic Company, 1943 March 1

1020

Wright Coal Company, 1901 Jan. 9-1926 Sept. 18

Series 4.4. Dissolution of Company, 1994-1996.

Folder

1021

Dissolution, Erskine Company, Inc., 1994 Jan. 14-1996 June 7

Series 5. Subsidiaries, 1919-1995.

This series pertains to a few of the subsidiaries that existed under the management of the Erskine Company, Inc.: the Batoff Mountain Coal Company, the Dunedin Coal Company, the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company, and the Terry Coal Company. Series 5.1, relating to the Batoff Mountain Coal Company, is the largest and most extensive. For board of directors= minutes, see also Series 1.

Series 5.6. Miscellaneous, 1925-1927.

Series 6. Maps, 1899-1990.

The Erskine Company, Inc., dealt extensively in West Virginia, especially within the first quarter century of its existence. Series 6 reflects this, containing maps of the company=s holdings in Fayette and Raleigh counties, West Virginia. Every effort has been made to reflect the ownership and name of the property depicted in each map, but there is extensive overlap. The maps are chiefly mine blueprints and land surveys, with some topographical included.

Series 7. Historical Materials/

This series of the Erskine Company, Inc. collection contains materials related to the general history of the company and its founders, including biographical information, genealogical charts, and various artifacts.

Biographical information concerns John Caperton, Margaret (Hanley) Paulee Erskine (1752-1842), including her narrative of Indian captivity, Michael Erskine the immigrant, Michael Erskine of Texas, A. Erksine Miller, Michael Erskine Miller, John Hooe Russell, Hugh Bell Sproul, Hugh Bell, Jr., and Carrington Williams. Of particular note is a copy of A Fire Creek: A New River Gorge Mining Community by Charles Smith (folders 1175-1176). Published in 1991, this short essay gives a general history of the Erskine Company, Inc., paying particular attention to the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company, where the author served as superintendent. It sheds particular light on both the social and technical sides of a coal mining operation, relaying personal anecdotes and explaining mining equipment alike.

Also of interest is the prospectus, Staunton, Virginia : Its Past, Present and Future, published by the Staunton Development Company (folder 1183). The Staunton Development Company was established in the early 1890s to renovate the American Hotel in downtown Staunton. It went broke by 1894.

Also of interest is a prospectus and scrip for the Fire Creek Coal and Coke Company (folders 1177 and 1178), and time books, one related to the Staunton Realty Corporation (folder 1182) and others for unknown construction projects (folder 1184).

Series 7.1. Company Histories and miscellany (published and loose materials).

Staunton, Virginia : its past, present and future [N.Y. : printed by South Publishing Company for Staunton Development Company, n.d.]

1184

Time books, 1886-1887 and 1908-1909

1185

Miscellaneous (includes account book of J. Mason Miller, Jr.)

Series 7.2. Oral History.

Folder

1186

Oral History and photographs of Charles Smith with Hugh B. Sproul, III

Series 7.3. Microfilm.

The early papers of the Erskine Coal and Land Company were placed at West Virginia University as part of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. Many of these concerned early land purchases. A finding aid is filed with the microfilm, but patrons may also wish to consult the owning repository.